This article is a tribute to a life well-lived, that of Donna K. McGee. Touchstone Gallery knew her as an artist, a very good one, but she was so much more than that. She was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother; an educator who fought for opportunities for all children; a champion of social justice; a protector of the environment; a political activist and a woman who enjoyed the outdoors and physical activity in her quest for a healthy lifestyle.

“She lived her life passionately and empathetically,” says Tory Cowles, Touchstone president and one of Donna’s long-time painting buddies. “She acted on the things she believed in, and she lived her life by the values she believed in.”

Meditation in Texture, Form and Color

Art was an important part of her life, even though she did not focus on showing and marketing her work until after retirement. Her passion and her painting skills led her to create subtle, meditative, deep abstracts that speak to the viewer in many ways. An acrylic artist, she often worked on a large scale. She applied many layers of paint to achieve variations in texture, form and color that were sometimes subtle and sometimes dramatic. Texture, brushwork, intriguing forms and color are hallmarks of her work.

*Memorabilia* Mixed media on canvas 24 x 24

In Her Own Words

When I begin, I usually do not know what the finished piece will be. I explore texture and paint and add lots of layers to see how colors and shapes change each other and how it evolves into a total image. As I paint, I become completely immersed in my work, sometimes concentrating on a particular color to achieve depth and adding brush strokes that will invite the viewer to explore. Nature has a strong influence on my work, and I see many organic shapes merge into each other on the canvas. I continue to add, and sometimes scrape off, layers of paint and texture until it becomes the total picture.”

--Donna K. McGee

“Her paintings were subtle but often evoked a very powerful response,” says Patricia Williams, a Touchstone colleague. “I enjoyed experiencing them and getting to know them over time. It sometimes felt as if the paintings knew me as well.”

In addition to being part of Touchstone, Donna was a member of Foundry Gallery in Washington, D.C. and the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association in Alexandria, Virginia. Her work appealed to private and commercial collectors throughout the mid-Atlantic area and as far away as London.

In Her Own Words

It is my hope that my paintings will evoke the viewer’s own memories and visions, and she or he will apply their own titles and be able to say, ‘I’ve been here before.”

--Donna K. McGee

Donna joined Touchstone in January 2021. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with ALS in June of that year. The disease progressed quickly, but it did not rob her of her passion for her art. Her well-received November 2021 solo show, My Last Picture Show, hung as a celebration of her life, a live well-lived.

A Community Loss

"Donna's passing is a huge loss for Touchstone Gallery and the entire DC-area artist community,” says Touchstone Gallery Director Abbey Alison McClain. “I got to know Donna and her work while at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, where she was a vital force in establishing a new gallery for Associate member artists. Donna loved art and the journey that comes along with being an artist. She will truly be missed."

To see more of Donna’s work, visit https://www.touchstonegallery.com/artists#/donna-k-mcgee or https://donnakmcgeeart.com/ .